


The Cat

by ILLEGAILE



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brocedes, Can be viewed as friendship??? Nahhhh, Fluff, Hamilberg, I helped you so you have to take me out, M/M, Neighbors, Newis, Nico and Lewis being cute, Nico's Cat, Pre-Relationship, Romance, adorkableness, monaco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-30 02:56:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3920305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ILLEGAILE/pseuds/ILLEGAILE
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on this prompt: </p>
<p>Your RA almost caught your illegal cat but I convinced them it's just me meowing.<br/>Brocedes AU where Lewis is a racing driver but Nico is not and their landlord is allergic to cats.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cat

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Challenge Week 19

> _Your RA almost caught your illegal cat but I convinced them that it’s just me meowing._

 

It shouldn’t be this hard, or at least that’s what Lewis thinks once he’s halfway up the stairs. He’s staring at the door like it will magically open for him but he knows it’s unlikely. His neighbor doesn’t go out much and when he does it’s not nearly long enough for Lewis to have a chat with him.

But he knows, God  _he knows_ , he’s seen him before. And normally Lewis wouldn’t care about strangers he’s seen more than once since he lives in Monaco where everyone knows everyone because of how goddamn  _tiny_  it was.

Lewis is a Formula 1 Champion, he doesn’t know why he’s so scared to walk up to his neighbor and ask him if he’s doing alright. Or if he’s into men. Or if he’s single.

Lewis chalks it up to how weird it would be to just ask him that out of nowhere but really it’s because of how startlingly beautiful the man is.

Yes, beautiful. It might sound strange but Lewis couldn’t find any other word to describe it because he was beautiful with his fluffy blonde hair and his expressive eyes and from the moment he moved in Lewis has been obsessed with him.

Lewis slaps himself a little, straightening out his Mercedes shirt. He’s high off the race he won yesterday in Monaco – his home – and he promised himself he would talk to Nico if he won.

He takes a breath and starts walking up the last few steps when he hears the meowing.

Lewis looked around half-hazardly, a brow raised in suspicion.

_‘That couldn’t be right, the landlord is deathly allergic to cats.’_ Lewis thinks because he’s had the talk with the landlord about his dogs and the landlord specifically mentioned that he was alright with pets as long as there were no cats.

 

_Meow._

There it was again. This time Lewis knew it was a cat. He turned, catching the sound of shuffling and thumping from Nico’s apartment. He was about to reach for the door knob when the door flew open, a small fluffy mass being thrown in his direction as it swung out.

“Lewis!” Nico said, the tone of his voice raised in shock as his hands shot out to try and grab the cat but the animal was clinging to Lewis like a child to its mother. “I can explain” Nico stared at him, breathless from trying to catch the cat and dressed in a loose shirt that was wet with his sweat. Lewis tried very hard to only look at his eyes  _because his mother raised him right thanks very much_  but couldn’t help looking down at Nico’s very fit body in appreciation.

_Meow._

 

Right. Cat. Nico’s cat.

“What’s going on up there?”

Lewis turns around, hearing faint footfalls and small sniffling noises getting closer.

The landlord. The landlord who is allergic to  _Nico’s cat_.

“Hey Tom, we’re just talking. How are you?” Lewis asked, nonchalantly tossing the cat into Nico’s apartment and closing the door with no help from the German who continued to stare at Lewis in surprise.

“I don’t have the slightest idea why but my sinuses are acting up. Do you happen to have a cat here?” Tom muttered, wiping at his nose as he climbed the stairs.

Lewis looked at Nico, looking defeated and just about ready to fess up when he came to a decision.

“Tom, I-”

“I was just telling Nico this funny story about a cat I saw outside today. He was staring at me from the garbage can meowing. Sort of like  _meow meow_. Yeah, like that. Right, Nico?” he meowed a couple of times, looking to Nico for support.

“That he was. Were you taking out the garbage today? Maybe you smelled that cat.” Nico smiled, picking up on Lewis’ lie smoothly.

“I guess so” the landlord regarded the pair of them with a knowing smile before waving. “Well, you boys have yourselves a good afternoon.” He winked, walking back down the stairs.

 

“Thank God” Nico sighed in relief.

“Yeah, that was close.” Lewis patted the man on the back, idly noting the fact that Nico’s heart was racing. As if it wasn’t hard enough to stand next to the man while he was sweaty and breathless.

Lewis finds himself wanting to see Nico like this every day and boy wasn’t that a sobering thought?

“You’re a decent actor” Nico complimented. Lewis fought down a blush at his praise because wasn’t it only seconds ago that he couldn’t bring himself to talk to him?

So instead, he answers with a soft “so are you” and Nico just chuckles. Lewis doesn’t even mind that he must have said or done something funny because Nico is stunning when he’s laughing like that.

“I should hope so or I’d lose my job” Nico mused and somewhere in Lewis’ mind it clicked.

Oh.  _Oh._  He’s  _that_  Nico.

Well, no wonder he looked familiar.

“You’re an actor” Lewis says and Nico laughs at how bewildered Lewis looks before it finally dawns on him.

“You’re a racing driver” Nico replies, grinning at Lewis like he could spend all day talking and he would never be bored.

“Whatever, man. I’m just surprised” he shoves Nico playfully and the German shoves back. “No kidding” they both laughed, sitting on the floor relieved at how the situation panned out.

 

“Thanks for covering for me” Nico says, looking straight into Lewis eyes as he said it.

“Don’t thank me just yet, you owe me now” this time it was Lewis’ turn to grin.

“Oh, I do?” Nico’s tone rises a bit in interest.

“Yes, and because I saved your ass you have to buy me dinner” Lewis announces, ignoring the meowing coming from inside of Nico’s apartment. The cat can do whatever it wants for now as long as it lets him have  _this moment_  with Nico.

“That’s hardly punishment” Nico retorts and Lewis almost believes that they’re flirting.

“Who says it has to be? Meet you downstairs at about 8?” Lewis asks, nudging Nico’s foot with his own.

Nico smiles at him with all his teeth showing and Lewis feels like the sun is shining on him for a moment because it’s so bright and open and honest that he almost doesn’t hear it when Nico answers.

“It’s a date”


End file.
